A state highway has been downgraded to a seasonal road as a result of its poor condition.

By Shawna Jankoviakshawna@cheboygantribune.com

A state highway has been downgraded to a seasonal road as a result of its poor condition.Michigan Department of Transportation officials say a section of M-33 in Cheboygan County has deteriorated badly over the winter, forcing its designation to have changed from an all-season road to a seasonal road as of March 5.The section from Mann Road to M-27 has been changed from green to red on the MDOT Truck Operators map, meaning that the road will now be subject to spring frost law weight restrictions that went into effect on March 11.The road has been an all-season route for many years, so this might come as a surprise to some truckers who use this route regularly, according to Bob Felt of MDOT.“This road has been an all-season route for quite some time. Since I’ve been here, I have not heard of this, which is more proof in the pudding that we are at a crisis point in the state with crumbling infrastructure,” Felt said. “This section of M-33 is a poster child for why we need more transportation funding in Michigan. Over the next 10 years, more and more roads will fall into the poor condition category unless we secure more funding to keep our system running smoothly.”For local comparison, this stretch of M-33 is considered to be in worse condition than the several-mile segment of M-68 from King Road to Old US-27 near Indian River that is due for reconstruction this year. Despite its poor condition, that segment of M-68 is not in bad enough shape to have been downgraded to a seasonal road.All-season roads are those that have been designed and built with additional strength and durability to withstand truck traffic loads all year long, with the exception of spring weight restrictions. Seasonal roads are less durable and could have different maintenance standards.All overwidth, overweight and over-length transport permits are restricted from using this section of M-33 indefinitely, according to MDOT.